Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Friday 19 November 1999

Scottish Executive

Education

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to list the local authorities in Scotland that charge music tuition fees in their schools.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Information on which local authorities charge for instrumental tuition, as part of the provision for social, cultural and recreative activities, is not held centrally.

Environment

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1936 by Sarah Boyack on 25 October 1999, when it will be consulting on the designation of the Ythan estuary and catchment as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.

Sarah Boyack: The consultation document will be released today to give interested parties an opportunity to comment. A major purpose of the consultation is to confirm the accuracy of the proposed zone before the formal designation. Maps of the NVZ will be available for inspection in the SERAD Offices in Inverurie, and officials there will be able to help with enquiries from farmers and others.

  Evidence from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s surface water monitoring network has revealed a number of other water courses along the East Coast which have elevated levels of nitrate. These are in Angus (Lunan Water, Brothock Burn, Elliot Water, Barry Burn and Monikie Burn), in Fife (the River Eden and the Kenly Water), and in the Borders (the Eye Water and Eden Water).

  Designation of the catchments of these waters as NVZs is currently being considered, but no decision has yet been taken.

Finance

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of its planned level of support for local authority non-housing capital spending for each local authority in the financial year 2000-01.

Mr Jack McConnell: The table attached shows the provisional allocations I plan to notify to CoSLA on 19 November. The table does not represent full support but only that which I am able to confirm at present. Gross allocations in column two of the table are made up from net allocations from central government plus local authorities own forecasts of receipts from asset sales.

  Provisional Non Housing Allocations

  


 


Gross allocation 
  


Public Transport 
  Fund 


Outstanding Challenge 
  fund 


Other commitments 
  


Authority total 
  




 


£000s 
  

£000s 
  

£000s 
  

£000s 
  

£000s 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

15,168 
  

2,800 
  

 


 


17,968 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

10,852 
  

960 
  

 


 


11,812 
  



Angus 
  

6,088 
  

 


 


 


6,088 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

10,828 
  

 


 


 


10,828 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

3,419 
  

 


 


 


3,419 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

9,449 
  

320 
  

 


 


9,769 
  



Dundee City 
  

9,111 
  

250 
  

 


 


9,361 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

6,397 
  

590 
  

 


 


6,987 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

7,173 
  

 


 


 


7,173 
  



East Lothian 
  

5,837 
  

370 
  

 


 


6,207 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

5,260 
  

467 
  

 


 


5,727 
  



Edinburgh (City of) 
  

28,056 
  

5,050 
  

 


 


33,106 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

10,053 
  

2,000 
  

650 
  

 


12,703 
  



Falkirk 
  

8,422 
  

365 
  

 


 


8,787 
  



Fife  
  

17,164 
  

1,373 
  

 





18,537 
  



Glasgow City 
  

41,736 
  

3,200 
  

157 
  

 


45,093 
  



Highland  
  

21,549 
  

 


 


 


21,549 
  



Inverclyde 
  

7,745 
  

 


 


 


7,745 
  



Midlothian 
  

4,573 
  

1,302 
  

 


 


5,875 
  



Moray 
  

5,676 
  

 


 


 


5,676 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

9,877 
  

 


 


 


9,877 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

20,927 
  

1,260 
  

 


 


22,187 
  



Orkney Islands  
  

4,050 
  

323 
  

 


 


4,373 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

9,585 
  

423 
  

3,600 
  

 


13,608 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

10,059 
  

650 
  

 


 


10,709 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

11,212 
  

 


 


 


11,212 
  



Shetland 
  

216 
  

 


 


 


216 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

7,057 
  

750 
  

 


 


7,807 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

18,718 
  

850 
  

 


 


19,568 
  



Stirling  
  

6,018 
  

150 
  

 


 


6,168 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

5,052 
  

300 
  

 


 


5,352 
  



West Lothian 
  

19,021 
  

 


 


 


19,021 
  



SPTA 
  

 


2,900 
  

 


7,650 
  

10,550 
  



Tay Road Bridge Board 
  

 


 


 


800 
  

800 
  



Totals 
  

356,348 
  

26,653 
  

4,407 
  

8,450 
  

395,858

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any increase in the number of people being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in Scotland in the past three years and, if so, which Health Board is reporting the greatest increase over that period.

Susan Deacon: The information is not available centrally in the form requested.

  Information derived from the Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR) system estimates that the number of patients seen by General Practitioners in Scotland for a first ever diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is as follows:

  


Year 


Number of patients 
  




1996 
  

1,250 
  



1997 
  

1,200 
  



1998 
  

1,250 
  



  It is not possible to estimate the number of people suffering from multiple sclerosis in each Health Board area.

  CMR data is obtained from the daily work of GPs within a sample of Scottish General Practices whose population is nationally representative. The above information is based on the activity of 33, 43 and 40 Scottish General Practices with combined populations of 171,069, 221,486 and 224,736 respectively.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the number of people who suffer from multiple sclerosis in each of the Health Boards areas in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The information is not available centrally in the form requested.

  Information derived from the Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR) system estimates that approximately 5,900 individuals were seen by General Practitioners, in respect of multiple sclerosis in Scotland in 1998.

  It is not possible to estimate the number of people suffering from multiple sclerosis in each Health Board area.

  CMR data is obtained from the daily work of GPs within a sample of Scottish General Practices whose population is nationally representative. The above information is based on the activity of 40 Scottish General Practices for the year ending December 1998, with a combined population of 224,736.

Health

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider allowing NHS Trusts in Scotland to benefit from capital receipts resulting from the disposal of surplus assets.

Susan Deacon: A policy was introduced on 1 April 1998, whereby NHS Trusts in Scotland were given the opportunity to benefit directly from capital receipts resulting from the disposal of surplus assets.

  The policy introduced the general principle that NHS Trusts retain capital receipts as follows:

  For receipts up to £500,000, the full value;

  For receipts over £500,000 but less than £1 million – £500,000;

  For receipts over £1 million but less than £8 million – 50% of the value;

  For receipts over £8 million - £4 million

  The retention of a greater share of a capital receipt, up to the full value, may be permitted following the approval of a business case by the Management Executive of the NHSiS.

Health

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether proceedings in the Westminster Parliament on the Mental Health (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill have now been completed.

Susan Deacon: The Mental Health Amendment (Scotland) Act 1999 received Royal Assent on 11 November, and comes into effect on 11 January 2000.

  The Act amends section 94 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 to allow hospital managers to continue to hold and expend funds on behalf of patients who leave hospital to live in the community and remain unable to manage their own affairs. At present, the 1984 Act makes no provision for hospital managers to pass the funds of such patients to any other person or to expend them for their benefit after they leave hospital. In consequence, the funds can become trapped and unable to be used to help the patient.

  The Act is an interim measure and will be superseded, if enacted, by the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Bill, now before the Scottish Parliament.

Housing

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role local authorities in Scotland will play in relation to the provision of housing services in the event of the proposed housing stock transfers for Glasgow and other local authority areas going ahead.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Where council houses transfer into community ownership, local authorities will be able to concentrate on their strategic role. This means taking a comprehensive view of housing requirements in their area and developing a local housing strategy to tackle these. In particular, authorities will continue to exercise their statutory duties in relation to homelessness.

Rural Affairs

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its plans for reform of agricultural holdings legislation will include giving tenant farmers a right to buy.

Ross Finnie: No. I have closely examined the pros and cons, and come to the conclusion that this is not the best way forward. I entirely understand why tenant farmers who may have farmed the land for many generations want the chance to own "their own" farms. But there is already a strong economic inducement for landowners to sell to their sitting tenant, given that the price realised this way will be better than selling the land with a sitting tenant to someone else.

  I believe that it is better to focus on other measures to free up constraints on tenant farmers. Our current agricultural holdings legislation reflects the circumstances of the immediate post-war era. Much of it is no longer relevant, and some parts are positive barriers to future development. That is why our Land Reform Action Plan commits us to legislating to reform it.

  We shall introduce more scope for diversity of agricultural tenancy arrangements. This will include new limited duration tenancies to replace partnership arrangements; and reduced restrictions on short-term lets, so as to eliminate needless bureaucracy. There will also be simpler and cheaper arrangements for resolution of disputes between agricultural tenants and their landlords. And we shall create wider opportunities for tenant farmers to diversify (which is crucial if agriculture is to adapt successfully for the future).

  I plan to issue a White Paper setting out my detailed proposals next spring.

Young People

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached a decision about the proposal to transfer to local authorities DSS resources currently spent on young people leaving local authority care.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Consultation on this proposal finished on 29 October. The wide range of thoughtful and considered responses from local authorities and the voluntary sector was welcomed. We have decided that the general principle of a unified fund has merit. Legislation will be introduced in Westminster enabling amendment of benefit entitlement in Scotland in order that the change may go ahead in due course.

  However, we consider that further detailed consideration should be given to how such enhanced local authority resources might best operate for the good of the young people concerned. We shall set up a working group with key organisations and agencies to look at the arrangements before any changes come into effect.